Carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins in patients after burn injury

Oxidative stress may contribute to secondary tissue damage and impaired immune function in patients after burn injury. The purpose of our study was to describe plasma antioxidant micronutrient concentrations in 26 adult patients admitted with extensive burn injuries (> 20 % total burn surface area) to a level-1 trauma burn center during a 21-day period after admission. The effect of administering beta-carotene was also examined with use of a prospective randomized subjects design: patients received either placebo or 30 mg/day in an enteral feeding. Plasma concentrations of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, carotenoids (alpha and beta-carotene, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein), and retinol were measured with high- performance liquid chromatography, and vitamin C was quantified with spectrophotometry, at baseline and twice per week. Vitamin C, tocopherol, and retinol concentrations were low at baseline, but levels increased significantly over the study period in both groups (p < 0.05). Plasma beta-carotene concentration increased when this carotenoid was provided in the oral feeding. Otherwise, plasma carotenoid concentrations were low at baseline and remained low throughout the study period despite normalization of associated lipids.